Why museums and theaters in the Netherlands turned into hairdressers and gyms for a day Bashny.Net

The latest. news from the Netherlands They got our attention. Do you think there is a connection between museums and beauty salons? It turned out that in the era of a pandemic, it can become very possible. Inventive Dutch have figured out how to resume the work of cultural institutions, which were closed during the next hard lockdown. The news of an unusual flash mob spread around the world. Not left out and the editorial board. "Site".



The pandemic, which has lasted for more than 2 years, is declining, then flares up with renewed vigor. In the Netherlands, a new strain of coronavirus has caused another hard lockdown. Local authorities announced the introduction of quarantine for the New Year and Christmas holidays. From December 19 to mid-January, all public institutions were closed, except for shops with essential goods.

It would seem that this story is as old as the world, what could it interest us? However, an unusual event happened. And this happened after the partial relaxation of quarantine restrictions. Beauty salons, barbershops and gyms were given the opportunity to work, while cultural institutions were not.



GettyImages Museums, theatres and concert halls in the Netherlands have been banned from operating. And this entails serious losses in these already difficult times. Since peaceful protests against acticoid restrictions yield nothing, the inventive Dutch decided to cheat the system. But they did it beautifully. The result was a whole flash mob!

The essence of it was that for one day famous museums and theaters turned into beauty salons, barbershops and even sports halls. People, as before, signed up for a haircut, manicure or went to training. Only now did it happen among famous paintings, exhibits or live rehearsals of an entire orchestra.



More than 60 cultural institutions were involved in this unusual action. However, the local authorities did not like this performance. They said such cultural protests were unacceptable. Recently, all participants received notices of forced closure. However, the flash mob received so much publicity that the government promised to consider further easing of quarantine restrictions.

What's the logic? We understand the resentment of all cultural institutions in the Netherlands. First, they were banned from working at a time when every penny matters. Secondly, their activities were considered less important than the work of hairdressers and gyms. But is that true?

Kapsalon Het Concertgebouw is van start met de Symfonie no. 2 van Charles Ives door @ConcertgbOrkest onder leiding van Susanna Mälkki. #kapsalontheater #conertgebouw pic.twitter.com/yDyhwVpVWp

— Het Concertgebouw (@Concertgebouw) January 19, 2022



We are sure that covey restrictions can be followed in theaters, museums, and during rehearsals. Prohibiting them is meaningless! “We do not understand why we cannot work again. Over the past 2 years, we have shown that it is quite safe to go to concerts or to the museum, Simon Reinink, director of the Concertgebau Concert Hall, said.





I understand the government has opened gyms, but we also need a gym for the mind. And the museum is a place where people increasingly come to find meaning in their lives, said Emily Gordenker, director of the Van Gogh Museum.

In the action, which was called “Theatrical barber”, a huge number of people took part. It’s not every day that you get a chance to go to the theater for a haircut or play sports in a museum. It’s a truly extraordinary experience that the Dutch are unlikely to experience again.





Local residents agreed that this action was really necessary. Everyone is in a gloomy mood right now, even my 11-year-old daughter looks depressed. If we lose our cultural expression, what will we have left? said one of the participants of the flash mob.





I want to believe that the government will make the right choice and ease quarantine restrictions. In these difficult times, cultural institutions must work. We hope that soon the news of the Netherlands will please the locals for the better!

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